System and method for unlocking content associated with media

ABSTRACT

There is presented a system and method for unlocking a content associated with media. In one aspect, the method comprises identifying the media, generating an authentication key using at least one key data from a set of key data contained in the media, determining an address in the media of at least one content unit corresponding respectively to each of the at least one key data used to generate the authentication key; requesting the at least one content unit by providing the address; receiving user data in response to the requesting; comparing the user data with the at least one key data used to generate the authentication key; and unlocking the content associated with the media if the user data matches the authentication key.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/196,875, filed on Oct. 20, 2008, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the management of mediacontent. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems andmethods for unlocking content associated with media.

2. Background Art

Developments in the technology for supporting information processing anddelivery have made more content more widely available to consumers thanever before. As the richness and variety of that content has grown, sotoo have the expectations of consumers, so that a consumer may nowtypically expect to be able to access a desired content across multipleformats, and/or be provided with supplemental content or otherassociated content capable of enriching or extending the consumptionexperience.

In the case of digitally recorded content, for example, it is now quitecommon for entertainment content provided on a digital video disc (DVD)or high-definition optical disc, such as a Blu-ray disc, for example, tobe distributed as a content bundle including primary content andsupplemental content associated with the primary content. For instance,primary content comprising a movie may be bundled with supplementalcontent related to the making of the movie, biographies of actors andactresses featured in the movie, alternate scenes omitted from theprimary version of the movie, and the like. In addition, in someinstances the primary content may be bundled with associated content notpackaged and distributed with the primary content, but available to thepurchaser of the primary content through another distribution channel.

Consider, for example, the previously introduced scenario in whichprimary movie content is distributed for commercial sale as a DVD. Inthat instance, associated content may include the primary content inanother media format, such as streaming media available for consumptionand/or download over the Internet, for example. Alternatively,associated content may comprise other movies thematically related to theprimary movie content, or a music soundtrack of the primary moviecontent. In any of those situations, the consumer of the primary contentmay have the opportunity to access the associated content by virtue oftheir purchase of the primary content. The purchased DVD may haveencoded onto it an access code or other authentication data that theconsumer may utilize to identify themselves as being in possession ofthe DVD and therefore entitled to access the associated content on theagreed upon terms. As a result, the consumer may enjoy an extendedconsumption experience through access to the associated supplementalcontent.

However, media distributed to consumers in certain more traditionalformats predating the recent trend towards content bundling may notreadily lend themselves to such an extendable consumption experience.Due in part to the use of batch production for much of this content, aswell as the requirement that the content be directly readable by a humanconsumer, content such as traditional printed media, for example, may bedifficult or prohibitively expensive to mark individually with uniqueauthentication symbols. This is problematic, however, because printedmedia, such as books and magazines, are physically bulky formats havinga relatively low content density, so that the ability to associate thepurchased content with separate but associated supplemental content maybe especially desirable in these very situations in which it is mostdifficult to accomplish.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show conventional solutions for providing a consumer ofmedia with an authentication key to unlock associated content.Conventional package 100 a, in FIG. 1A, includes media 102, in the formof a book, enclosed in wrapper 106. As shown in FIG. 1A, authenticationkey 104, which may be an alphanumeric code, for example, is printed ontoor attached to wrapper 106. Wrapper 106 may be a shrinkwrap coverprotecting media 102 during distribution or display, for example.Authentication key 104 may be air printed onto wrapper 106, or printedonto an adhesive label affixed to wrapper 106. A consumer in possessionof package 100 a can enjoy media 102, and utilize authentication key 104to access, or unlock, supplemental content associated with media 102.

Turning to FIG. 1B, conventional package 100 b in that figure includesmedia 102, again represented as a book, and authentication key 104provided on insert 108, which is distributed with media 102. As in theprevious figure, a consumer in possession of package 100 b may enjoymedia 102, and utilize authentication key 104 to access, or unlock,supplemental content associated with media 102. One advantage of theconventional solutions shown by FIGS. 1A and 1B is that otherwiseindistinguishable units of packaged media, such as multiple copies ofthe book represented by media 102, are rendered distinctive andidentifiable by being distributed with a physically separable object,i.e., wrapper 106 or insert 108, which bears a unique authenticationkey.

The disadvantages associated with the solutions shown by FIGS. 1A and 1Bare several and significant, however. For example, because for bothpackages 100 a and 100 b, authentication key 104 is provided on anobject separable from media 102, and produced independently from media102, those separable objects, i.e., wrapper 106 or insert 108, must becombined with media 102 prior to their distribution to a consumer. Thatrequired combining step may be labor or resource intensive, as well astime consuming, and may represent a substantial additional production ordistribution cost. In addition, and perhaps even more disadvantageously,because authentication key 104 is not bonded to media 102, but rather tophysically separable wrapper 106 or insert 108, authentication key 104may fairly readily be separated from media 102.

Separation of authentication key 104 from media 102 can have undesirableconsequences for the consumer as well as for the producer and/ordistributor of media 102. For example, the consumer may be disadvantagedthrough loss of access to supplemental content associated with media102, when authentication key 104 is separated from media 102 eitherintentionally, through theft of wrapper 106 or insert 108 duringdistribution and display, or inadvertently, through discard or loss ofthose separate objects by the consumer. Moreover, the producer and/ordistributor may suffer harm as a result of unauthorized distribution ofsupplemental content to individuals in improper possession ofauthentication key 104, again, as a result of theft during distributionand display, or, alternatively, through intentional sharing ofauthentication key 104 by the consumer. In instances in which apurchasing consumer is deprived of or loses authentication key 104, theproducer and/or distributor may additionally suffer a loss of good willfrom the consumer, which may negatively affect the prospects of futurepurchases of other products offered by the producer and/or distributorof media 102.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a new solution to overcomethe drawbacks and deficiencies in the conventional approaches forauthenticating media.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There are provided systems and methods for unlocking content associatedwith media, substantially as shown in and/or described in connectionwith at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in theclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will become morereadily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewingthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A shows a conventional solution for providing a consumer of mediawith an authentication key to unlock associated content;

FIG. 1B shows another conventional solution for providing a consumer ofmedia with an authentication key to unlock associated content;

FIG. 2 shows an example of media provided so as to enable unlocking ofassociated content by a consumer in possession of the media, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a system for unlocking contentassociated with media, according to one embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart presenting a method to unlock content associatedwith media, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to a system and method for unlockingcontent associated with media. The following description containsspecific information pertaining to the implementation of the presentinvention. One skilled in the art will recognize that the presentinvention may be implemented in a manner different from thatspecifically discussed in the present application. Moreover, some of thespecific details of the invention are not discussed in order not toobscure the invention. The specific details not described in the presentapplication are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill inthe art. The drawings in the present application and their accompanyingdetailed description are directed to merely exemplary embodiments of theinvention. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention,which use the principles of the present invention, are not specificallydescribed in the present application and are not specificallyillustrated by the present drawings. It should be borne in mind that,unless noted otherwise, like or corresponding elements among the figuresmay be indicated by like or corresponding reference numerals.

The inventor recognizes the drawbacks and deficiencies in theconventional art, and has developed a novel solution for unlockingcontent associated with media that successfully overcomes the failingsof conventional approaches. FIG. 2 shows an example of media provided soas to enable unlocking of associated content by a consumer in possessionof the media, according to one embodiment of the present invention.Package 200, in FIG. 2, shows media 202, in the form of a book, havingauthentication key 204 selected from the contents of media 202, or inthe present embodiment, from individual human readable words making upthe text of the book.

The mechanism by which the result shown in FIG. 2 is accomplished willbe more fully explained in conjunction with following FIGS. 3 and 4. Forthe time being, it is enough to appreciate that according to the variousembodiments of the present invention, authentication key 204 is fullyintegrated with, and not physically separable from media 202. As aresult, authentication key 204 cannot be lost or discarded by a consumerof media 202, independently of media 202, making it less likely that theconsumer would inadvertently relinquish access to associated contentunlocked by authentication key 204. Moreover, the consumer cannot sufferloss of authentication key 204 through theft during distribution ordisplay of media 202 because authentication key 204 is derived from thepurchased product itself, in other words, from the contents of themedia. In addition, because authentication key 204 cannot be separatedfrom media 202, and as will be explained shortly, may be generateddynamically through interaction of the consumer with a contentcoordinator or content coordination system, the consumer cannot shareauthentication key 204 with others without relinquishing possession ofmedia 202, making improper distribution of the associated contentunlocked by authentication key 204 less likely.

As shown in FIG. 2, authentication key 204 comprises the three words“big red balloon” corresponding to combination of the words “big” 203 a,“red” 203 b, and “balloon” 203 c, appearing in the text on pagetwenty-three of the book represented by media 202. Thus, considering thenumber of words contained in a typical printed media, the number ofletters making up those words, and the possible combinations of thewords and/or letters, a practically infinite number of authenticationkeys can be generated from the contents of media 202. The consumer inpossession of media 202 may be unable to identify authentication key 204within those contents without guidance, however. That guidance may beprovided by a content coordinator, in the form of a web server,accessible online through a personal computer or other client system, orthrough voice or data communication with a human customer servicerepresentative acting in that capacity, for example. Whatever form ittakes, the content coordinator can guide the consumer to particularaddresses or locations within media 202, at which elements ofauthentication key 204 have been determined to reside.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 2, for example, a consumer inpossession of media 202 and attempting to access supplemental contentassociated with media 202 would be prompted to turn to page twenty-threeof the book and combine, in order, the fifth word from the beginning ofthe first paragraph (i.e., “big” 203 a), the sixth word from the end ofthe first paragraph (i.e., “red” 203 b), and the ninth word from thebeginning of the second paragraph (i.e., “balloon” 203 c), to producethe combination “big red balloon,” matching authentication key 204.Although in the present embodiment, media 202 is represented as a book,in other embodiments media 202 may correspond to any human readablecontent that is packaged for distribution to consumers. Thus, for thepurposes of the present application, media may comprise any printedmedia such as books, magazines, newsletters, or other periodicals, forexample, or any other discrete arrangement of meaningful colors, shapes,or symbols, such as scrolls, etched or inlaid surfaces, playing ortrading cards, or game boards, for example.

Furthermore, although in the embodiment of FIG. 2, authentication key204 is shown to comprise three human readable words selected from acommon page of a book, in other embodiments authentication key 204 maycomprise more or fewer content units, which may themselves be humanreadable words, symbols, raised or indented elements, or colors, forexample, or combinations of such content units. In those embodiments,the one or more content units comprised by encryption key 204 need notbe commonly located on the same page or reside together in adistinguishable subset of the media, such as a section or chapter, forexample. Thus, the content units comprised by authentication key 204 maybe as few as one, or may be numerous, and may be widely separated acrossthe contents of media 202. In addition to the representation ofauthentication key 204 as comprising human readable words, as shown inFIG. 2, in other situations in which media 202 is a book or otherprinted media, for example, the key data from which authentication key204 is generated may include information such as the number of words ina particular line, or the identities of specific letters located at anaddress on a line. For example, in those embodiments, key data mayinclude numbers, such as the number of words on line fourteen of pagetwenty-four, or individual letters, such as the fifth letter of thethird word on line five of page twenty-one, and the like.

The mechanism by which authentication key 204 is generated for media 202and identified by a consumer in possession of media 202 will now befurther explained by reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows a block diagramof system 300 for unlocking content associated with media, according toone embodiment of the present invention. System 300 comprises server 310interactively linked to supplemental content storage 320 includingsupplemental content 322. As shown in FIG. 3, server 310 includesprocessor 312, memory 314 storing key data 317 in media database 316,and authentication module 318. Authentication module 318, under thecontrol of processor 312, is capable of accessing data stored in mediadatabase 316. FIG. 3 also shows consumer 338 in possession of book 302,in communication with system 300 through client system 330 and packetnetwork 328. Book 302, in FIG. 3, corresponds to media 202, in FIG. 2,while key data 317 comprises data which corresponds to content unitswithin book 302 (content units not shown in FIG. 3), which in turn maybe seen to correspond to the content unit human readable words “big” 203a, “red” 203 b, and “balloon” 203 c, in FIG. 2.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 3, consumer 338 may utilize clientsystem 330 and packet network 328 to access server 310. Server 310 maythen utilize processor 312 to interact with authentication module 318and unlock supplemental content 322 associated with book 302.Supplemental content 322 associated with the media (e.g., book 302) maycomprise one or more digital media files, for example, containingcontent relevant to book 302. In some embodiments, unlockingsupplemental content 322 may correspond to authorizing temporary orpermanent access to content associated with the media, such as one ormore digital media files residing in supplemental content storage 320.In other embodiments, however, unlocking supplemental content 322 mayauthorize consumer 338 to subsequently arrange for transfer ofsupplemental content 322, such as one or more digital media files, tohis or her possession, perhaps through purchase and/or download ofsupplemental content 322 to client system 330 over packet network 328,for example.

It is noted that although in the present embodiment, supplementalcontent 322 has been described as comprising one or more digital mediafiles, that is merely an example of the form supplemental content 322may take. In other embodiments, supplemental content 322 associated withthe media may comprise other items of media, such as printed media,recorded video or film content, recorded music content, or objects, suchas tokens, plush toys, or prizes, for example. Moreover, although in theembodiment of FIG. 3, client system 330 is represented as a personalcomputer (PC), in other embodiments client system 330 may correspond toanother type of personal communication device, such as a mobiletelephone, digital media player, personal digital assistant (PDA),tablet computer, or a wired or wireless gaming console, for example.

As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, unlocking of supplemental content322 associated with book 302 is mediated directly by authenticationmodule 318 on server 310, accessed through packet network 328. In thatembodiment, authentication module 318 may comprise a web application,accessible over a packet network such as the Internet, for example. Inother embodiments, however, unlocking of supplemental content 322 may bemediated by a human content coordinator utilizing authentication module318, such as a customer service representative engaging in voice or datacommunication with consumer 338, for example. Furthermore, it is notedthat although in the embodiment of FIG. 3, supplemental content storage320 is shown to reside apart from server 310, such as, for example wheredistribution of supplemental content 322 is managed by a contentdistribution clearinghouse, in other embodiments, supplemental content322 may be stored on server 310.

Media database 316 includes key data 317, which comprises a set of keydata corresponding to the content units, in this case human readablewords, making up the text of book 302, as well as the addresses in book302, i.e., page number, paragraph or line number, and word number, forexample, of each word. As a result, the words and the locations of thosewords, which may constitute the entire contents of book 302, arerepresented in media database 316 and those representations areaccessible by authentication module 318 under the control of processor312. Authentication module 318, under the control of processor 312, maybe configured to identify book 302 by inputs received from consumer 338,generate an authentication key from one or more key data from a set ofkey data contained in book 302, in this instance human readable words,determine the addresses of those words in book 302, and request thecontent unit (e.g., word) at each determined address, from consumer 338.Consumer 338 may consult book 302 at the specified locations, andprovide the word or word combination requested by authentication module318. Authentication module 318 may be further configured to receive userdata from consumer 338 and compare that user data with the key data usedto generate the authentication key, and to unlock supplemental content322 if the user data matches the authentication key.

Although the present discussion has thus far described authenticationmodule 318, in FIG. 3, as residing on server 310, more generally,authentication module 318 may comprise a software module stored on anysuitable computer-readable medium. For example, instructions forperforming steps comprising identifying a media, generating anauthentication key using one or more key data from a set of key datacontained in the media, determining an address in the media of one ormore content units corresponding respectively to each of the one or morekey data used to generate the authentication key, requesting the atleast one content unit at the determined address, receiving user data inresponse to the request, comparing the user data with the one or morekey data used to generate the authentication key, and unlocking thecontent associated with the media if the user data matches theauthentication key, may be stored on a computer-readable medium,for-execution by a processor.

The expression “computer-readable medium,” as used in the presentapplication, refers to any medium that provides instructions to acomputer or processor, such as processor 312 on server 310, in FIG. 3.Thus, a computer-readable medium may correspond to various types ofmedia, such as volatile media, non-volatile media, and transmissionmedia, for example. Volatile media may include dynamic memory, such asdynamic random access memory (dynamic RAM), while non-volatile memorymay include optical, magnetic, or electrostatic storage devices.Transmission media may include coaxial cable, copper wire, or fiberoptics, for example, or may take the form of acoustic or electromagneticwaves, such as those generated through radio frequency (RF) and infrared(IR) communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include,for example, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), DVD, or otheroptical disc; a RAM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable PROM(EPROM), FLASH memory, or a transmission carrier wave.

FIGS. 2 and 3 will now be further described in conjunction with FIG. 4,which presents a flowchart of a method for execution by a processor tounlock content associated with media, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention. The steps shown in flowchart 400 are merelyexemplary, however, so that a step may consist of one or more substepsor may involve specialized equipment or materials, as known in the art.While steps 410 through 470 indicated in flowchart 400 are sufficient todescribe one embodiment of the present method, other embodiments mayutilize steps different from those shown in flowchart 400, or mayinclude more, or fewer steps.

Beginning with step 410 in FIG. 4, and referring to system 300 in FIG.3, step 410 of flowchart 400 comprises identifying the media, or, as inthe embodiment of FIG. 3, identifying book 302. Identification of book302 may be performed by authentication module 318, under the control ofprocessor 312, for example, from inputs provided by consumer 338 seekingto access and unlock supplemental content 322 associated with book 302.Authentication module 318 may identify book 302 by comparison ofidentifying data provided by consumer 338 to the contents of mediadatabase 316, for example.

Flowchart 400 continues with step 420, comprising generating anauthentication key using one or more key data from a set of key datacontained in the media. Step 420 may be performed by authenticationmodule 318, under the control of processor 312, for example, byaccessing media database 316 in which key data 317 are stored. Referringto FIG. 2, a set of key data contained by media 202 may include allwords contained in media 202, including every word appearing ondisplayed page twenty-three, for example. In one embodiment, generationof authentication key 204 may be performed by processor 312 andauthentication module 318, in FIG. 3, using a random sequence generator,or other suitable algorithm for selecting key data corresponding to theindividual words making up “big red balloon.” Although authenticationkey 204 is shown to include three words, in other embodiments,authentication key 204 may comprise only one word, or two words, or morethan three words, for example. In still other embodiments,authentication key 204 may comprise the number and/or identity ofspecific letters located on one or more pages of media 202.

In step 430 of flowchart 400, the address or location in the media, ofthe content unit corresponding respectively to each of the key data usedto generate the authentication key, is determined. Once again, step 430may be performed by authentication module 318, under the control ofprocessor 312, by reference to media database 316. In the embodiment ofFIG. 2, for example, three key data were used to generate authenticationkey 204. Those three key data correspond to the three content units, inthat case human readable words, “big” 203 a, “red” 203 b, and “balloon”203 d. The addresses of those words may be determined according tovarious criteria, such as page number, line number, paragraph number,word number, and the like, to describe the location of each contentunit.

Step 440 comprises requesting the content unit at each addressdetermined in step 440. Step 440 may correspond to a message beinggenerated by authentication module 318, under the control of processor312, being sent from server 310 to client system 330, for example,requesting the user of client system 330, e.g. consumer 338, to providethe content unit or units appearing at the specified respective addressor addresses. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, for example, such amessage may request the user to input, in order, the fifth word from thebeginning of the first paragraph on page twenty-three, the sixth wordfrom the end of the first paragraph on the same page, and the ninth wordfrom the beginning of the second paragraph on that page. Authenticationmodule 318, under the control of processor 312, may then, in step 450 ofthe method of flowchart 400, receive user data responsive to the requestissued in step 440.

Continuing with step 460 of flowchart 400, step 460 comprises comparingthe user data with the key data used to generate the authentication keyin step 420. Step 460 may be performed by authentication module 318,under the control of processor 312, by reference to key data 317 inmedia database 316. Where the user, e.g. consumer 338, in FIG. 3, isactually in possession of the media, such as media book 202, in FIG. 2,authentication key 204 can be readily provided through compliance withthe request issued in step 440. For example, consulting the instructionsprovided in the previous paragraph, we find that the requested contentunits are the words “big” 203 a, “red” 203 b, and “balloon” 203 c,which, in the requested order, match authentication key 204.

Thus, when a legitimate attempt to unlock supplemental content 322 isundertaken by consumer 338 in possession of book 302, consumer 338 isable to provide the content units requested in step 440. As a result,step 470 of flowchart 400 comprises unlocking associated supplementalcontent 322 if the user data received from consumer 338 in step 450matches authentication key 204, shown in FIG. 2. Step 470 may correspondto directions provided by authentication module 318, under the controlof processor 312, to supplemental content storage 320, unlocking accessto supplemental content 322 for consumer 338 on agreed upon terms, forexample. Where an individual other than consumer 338 attempts to accesssupplemental content 322 associated with book 302, but is not inpossession of book 302, however, the request issued in step 440 cannotbe complied with, advantageously disabling access to associatedsupplemental content 322 for that individual, under those circumstances.

Thus, the present application discloses a system and method forunlocking content associated with media. From the above description ofthe invention it is manifest that various techniques can be used forimplementing the concepts of the present invention without departingfrom its scope. Moreover, while the invention has been described withspecific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skill inthe art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detailwithout departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Itshould also be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular embodiments described herein, but is capable of manyrearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing fromthe scope of the invention.

1. A system for unlocking a content associated with a media, the systemcomprising: a server memory configured to store a media database havinga set of key data corresponding to the media; and a server processorconfigured to execute an authentication module residing in the servermemory, the authentication module configured to: identify the media;generate an authentication key using at least one key data from a set ofkey data contained in the media; determine an address in the media of atleast one content unit corresponding respectively to each of the atleast one key data used to generate the authentication key; request theat least one content unit by providing the address; receive user data inresponse to the request; compare the user data with the at least one keydata used to generate the authentication key; and unlock the contentassociated with the media if the user data matches the authenticationkey.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the media comprises printedmedia.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the media comprises one of abook or a periodical publication.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein themedia comprises one of a trading card or a game board.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the authentication key includes a human readable wordselected from the contents of the media.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the content associated with the media comprises a digital mediafile.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein unlocking the content associatedwith the media includes authorizing a user of a client system to accessthe content associated with the media.
 8. The system of claim 1, whereinunlocking the content associated with the media includes authorizing auser of a client system to transfer the content associated with themedia to the client system.
 9. A computer-readable medium having storedthereon instructions comprising an authentication software module which,when executed by a processor, perform a method for unlocking a contentassociated with a media, the method comprising: identifying the media;generating an authentication key using at least one key data from a setof key data contained in the media; determining an address in the mediaof at least one content unit corresponding respectively to each of theat least one key data used to generate the authentication key;requesting the at least one content unit by providing the address;receiving user data in response to the requesting; comparing the userdata with the at least one key data used to generate the authenticationkey; and unlocking the content associated with the media if the userdata matches the authentication key.
 10. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 9, wherein the media comprises printed media.
 11. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the authentication keyincludes a human readable word selected from the contents of the media.12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the contentassociated with the media comprises a digital media file.
 13. A methodfor execution by a processor to unlock a content associated with amedia, the method comprising: identifying the media; generating anauthentication key using at least one key data from a set of key datacontained in the media; determining an address in the media of at leastone content unit corresponding respectively to each of the at least onekey data used to generate the authentication key; requesting the atleast one content unit by providing the address; receiving user data inresponse to the requesting; comparing the user data with the at leastone key data used to generate the authentication key; and unlocking thecontent associated with the media if the user data matches theauthentication key.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mediacomprises printed media.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the mediacomprises one of a book or a periodical publication.
 16. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the media comprises one of a trading card or a gameboard.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the authentication keyincludes a human readable word selected from the contents of the media.18. The method of claim 13, wherein the content associated with themedia comprises a digital media file.
 19. The method of claim 13,wherein unlocking the content associated with the media includesauthorizing a user of a client system to access the content associatedwith the media.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein unlocking thecontent associated with the media includes authorizing a user of aclient system to transfer the content associated with the media to theclient system.